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GM officials to meet with top Canadian Unifor union officials Thursday

Posted at 5:31 PM, Dec 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-19 08:08:27-05

DETROIT (WXYZ) — 7 Action News has learned top GM officials will meet with top Canadian Unifor union officials in the Renaissance Center headquarters in Detroit on Thursday afternoon. The topic is the planned closing of the GM Oshawa plant next year affecting some 3,000 hourly and salaried employees.

GM CEO Mary Barra is not expected to be in the meeting. Unifor National President Jerry Dias tells 7 Action News in an exclusive interview that GM will pay with Canadians if they don’t bring new product to Oshawa. He says Canadians buy $10 Billion in GM vehicles each year about what they currently make as employees. Dias says GM has moved several models made in Canada to Mexico over the years for cheaper labor costs.

The Oshawa plant makes the Chevy Impala and Cadillac XTS that are being phased out. But the plant also does final assembly of two pickups. Dias says this closing violates their 2016 contract and is a slap in the face to Canada which provided $10.8 Billion in loans to GM in 2008.

Dias plans to talk with the media after the closed door meeting likely over in Windsor at the Unifor offices.

GM released the following statement:

“GM Canada is committed to working with Unifor to support our employees, including support for local training and transition initiatives in the Durham Region. While these discussion are ongoing, we aren’t providing details.”